2002 Diana Madeline Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot
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Tasting notes
Very very sweet, simple fruit. This is like an ambitious Chilean. Well done but just too simple. Can't see it becoming much more interesting. Very good winemaking – arguably the best-made wine in this entire tasting. Lovely texture. Medium bodied. My mark is very severe but is so to point up what I saw blind as such simple fruit quality. (I had a chance to re-taste this wine, both under cork and screwcap. I'd go for the cork for the next three or four years.) (JR)
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
(contains 12% merlot and 8% petit verdot; this is the new name for Cullen's flagship red blend) Ruby-red. Cassis, licorice, spices, herbs and tobacco leaf on the nose, with a minty nuance. Sweet and intense in the middle, with distinctly claret-like flavors of currant, tobacco leaf and herbs. Very suave wine, finishing with big, lush, fine-grained tannins that coat the front teeth. The wine's breadth and back-end sweetness suggest it will be even better for five or six years of additional bottle aging. Old Bridge Cellars, Napa CA